Wireless cluster.



R. B. BENJAMIN.

WIRELESS CLUSTER.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNI: 1o, 1901.

938,631 Patented Nov. 2, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J/ /f a /Z 'y k i s' li R. B. BENJAMIN.

WIRELESS GLUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1907.

938,631. Patented NW2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

MIJ/@354565: Jaffa/0r:

o all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJA- IN, a citizen of the United States,residing t Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, haveinvented new and useul Improvements in Wireless Clusters, of hich thefollowing is a full, clear, concise nd exact description, referencebeing had u the accmpanying drawing, forming a art of thisspecification. p

This invention relates to improvements in lural lamp-holding devices ofthat class herein a supporting base carries conductg plates which are soarranged as to enage the terminals of incandescent electric e sockets ofthe device and to conduct curent to each of said lamps.

The object ofx the present invention is the reduction of a device ofthis class which is `f simple and economical construction and hich 1s soconstructed as to permit the conenient connection therewith of theleadingn or supply wires.

In the accom anying drawings, I have l ustrated a devlce embodying myinvention.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a 'vertical entral sectional view of thedevice, the secion being taken on the line 1 1 of Fi 2 nd 3; F1 2 is abottom plan view o the evice wit out lamps, a portion of the outer asingbeing broken away to expose to view he binding-screws whereby theleading-in ires are secured to the conducting plates; ig. 3 is a centralvertical sectional view aken on aplane at ri ht an les with the lane ofFig. 1, this p ane being indicated y the line'3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig.4 is bottom plan view of the insulating suporting base with one of theconducting lates secured inplace thereon.

In the several figures of the drawings, in hich like reference numeralsindicate the ame parts throughout, 10 is a supporting ase formed ofinsulating material, preferbly porcelain. This base 10 has substaniallythe form of a truncated cone and is cured to a supporting plate 11 bymeans a pair'of screws 12, 12 which pass through penlngs 12", 12a in thebase 10. This suporting plate 11 is formed with a screwhreaded neck 13adapted to receive `the hreaded end of a pipe or similar conduit. l heunder side of the base 10 is provided Specification of Letters '.Patent.

Application led June 10, 1907. Serial No.-878,265.

mps when such lamps are inserted into UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIeE.

UBEN B. BENJAMIN, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOIIB T0 BENJAMIN ELECTRICMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION .OFILLINOIWIRELESS CLUSTER.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

with a pair of substantially semi-annular ribs 14, 14, the ends of whichare somewhat separated. These ribs 14, 14 support a con-- ducting late15 which is substantially annular an is provided with an inwardly pro-]ectlng lug carrying a binding-screw 16.. The base is formed with asemi-circular opening 10i extending therethrough, through which is ledthe leading-in wires, one of which is secured tothe binding-screw 16.The plate is secured in place by a pair of screws-17, 17 which extendthrough apertures 17, 17 in the ribs 14, 14. A second conducting (plate18 surrounds the base 10 and is arrange to engage the center terminal ofeach of Vthe lamps. carried by the device. This plate 18 is rmg-shapedand is provided vwith a pair of inwardly extending lugs 19 and 20,through each of which extends a v screw 21 by means of which the plateis secured in position to the base.'v These lu s 19 and 20 lie in the'spaces between the en s of the ribs 14, 14. The longer lug 19 isprovided with a binding-screw 22 adapted toreceive the end of the otherleading-in wire.

The outer casing or housing 23 is provided with a series of openings forthe re-V ception of lamps. This housing is substantially bowl-shaped andis supported at its upper edge by Vthe sup orting plate 11 as will behereinafter exp ained. In each of the openings in this housing 23 isarranged an insulating bushing 24. These bushings are provided withenlargements or shoulders 25` on their inner ends to prevent thebushings from falling out of the openings in the casing. To preventrotation of the bushings -they are each formed with one or more grooves26 and thecasing 23 is provided with lugs 27 adapted to enter thegrooves 26 when the bushings are passed out through the openings in thecasing. The insulatin bushings 24 are interiorly screw-threade and ineach of these bushings is arranged means for engaging and makingelectrlcal connection with the outer contact member of an incandescentlamp when the latter is screwed into the socket. In the form of deviceshown in the drawings this outer contact member comprises a threadedmetallic socket shell 28 having its inner end outwardly flanged at 29and adapted to en age the plate 15 when the casing 23 and soc etscarrled thereby are in place.

The means whereby the casing 23 is secured to the su porting plate 11may consist of a spirallp arran ed bead 30 on the casing 23 into w 'chthe edge 31 of the plate 1l projects.A This edge 31 1s bent so as tohave the general form of a screwthread having but a single turn. In thisforni of device, when it is deslred to get at the binding-posts 16 and22, the caslng 23 will be rotated and thereby unscrewed from thesupporting late 11 and may then be separated there rom, carrying w1th 1tthe lamp-receiving sockets 24. The ends of the conductors may then beSecured in place to the binding-screws and the cover or casing 23 willthen be put up into lace and revolved to screw 1t upon the p ate 11. Themetallic socket shells 28 will engage the edge of the, plate 15 and willmake electrical connection with this plate. When the lamps are screwedinto these sockets, their inner or center terminals will engage theplate 18.

It will be seen that a lamp-holding device made up in accordance withthe present 1nvention comprises two unitary structures, one of whichincludes a plurality of lamp-` receiving sockets and a suitable commonsupport for said sockets, the other including suitable conductingplates, all so arranged thaty when these two unitary structures arecombined and secured together the terminals of lamps inserted into thesockets of the device will make electrical connection with theconducting plates. Itis to be observed also that there is thus providedready access to the binding-screws of the device and that it is notnecessary in order to make the proper connections for the leading-inwires to disassemble the parts of the device further than to merelydisconnect the outer casing from its support. After t-he electricalconnections have thus been made the simple replacement of the outercasing and the securing of the same in place puts the device intocondition for the reception of the lamps. A device made up in accordancewith the present invention possesses the advantage of permitting thenumber of lamps carried b the device to be readily changed at wil Toaffect this, it is merely necessa to remove the casing 23 and substitutetherefor another casing similar in all res ects to the first except thatit is formed wit a greater or lesser number of lamp-receiving openings.

As the contactv Yslate 18 is circular this plate may be engage by theterminalsof lamps at any point or points around its circumference. Theplate 15, bein also circular, may be engage by socket she ls 28 placedat all points around its circumference. This feature of my device is oneof great commercial and practical value for the reason that it affordsthe possibilit of fitting up, from arts carried in stoc a device arrangeto carry any number of lamps deings and threaded shells.

sired, up to the capacity of the device. The dealer can keep in stock asupply of bases with contact plates in place thereon and a quantity ofporcelain lamp-receiving bush- These parts are exactly the same whatevernumber of lamps the device is fitted up to carry. The dealer will alsohave in stock a supply ofA outer shells with various numbers oflamp-receiving openings. When he receives an order for a device of thisclass he will select a casing having the required number of openings andwill insert into each of these o nings a bushing and threaded shell andwill supply the customer with a structure thus formed and 'with a basewith contact plates thereon. In devices of this character this featureof interchangeability in the number of lamps employed 1s of great value,as it permits the dealer to carry in stocka smaller amount of material,without lessening his ability to supply devices of any required capacityfrom stock on hand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a plural lamp-holding device, a casing having a plurality ofopenings, an insulating block within said casing, a contact carried bysaid block and adapted to engage a variable number of lamps,v aninsulating ring disposed in each of said openin and having twodiameters, said ring havlng its lar er portion confined between saidcasing an sald insulating block and having its smaller portion extendingoutwardly through the casing, a threaded contact within said ring, and aplate carried by said block and adapted to engage a variable number ofsaid threaded contacts. f

2. In a plural lamp-holding device, abackplate, a casing, an insulatingbase to said ack-plate within said casing, said casing having aplurality of openin s, an insulating bushing in each of sai openings, athreaded shell in each of said bushmgs, flanged outwardly to prevent itspassing out of said bushing, a conducting plate'secured to said base andadapted to engage a variable number Aof said threaded shells, means forsecuring said casing to said backlate, a conducting member carried bysaid .base adapted for engagement with the center terminals of avariable number of lamps, and a binding terminal for said member.

3. In a plural lamp-holding device, a backplate, an insulating melnbersecured to said back-plate, a casing independently secured to saidback-plate and inclosing said insulating member and havin a plurality ofopenings arranged in a circ e, an insulating rin within each of said oenings, a thread ring within each of sai insulating rings, a circularplate secured to said msulating member and adapted to engage said ringsn said casing is secured to said base, and ntact member adapted toengage the cenerminals of a variable nu mber of lamps. In a plurallamp-holding device, a back e, an insulating base secured to said backe, a contact plate carried by said base, asing inclosing said base andhaving p-receiving openings, a threaded shell rted into each of saidopenings from the de of said casing and disposed to engage contact platewhen said casing is 1n ition, means upon said threaded shells forventing the passage of said shells out- 'd, means for securingsaidcasing in poon, and a Contact member carried by said e and adapt-ed forengagement with the ter terminals of a variable number of ips. In aplural lamp-holding device, an inatng base, a contact member carried,reby and adapted for engagement with center terminals of a variablenumber lamps, a. casing provided With openings, ushing inserted intoeach of said openings 2.3 m the inside of the casing, said bushings ngformed to prevent their being drawn out of said openings, means forpreventing rotation of said bushings, a threaded shell in each of saidbushings, and a member oarried by said base and adapted to conductcurrent to a variable number of said shells.

(i. In a plural lamp-holding device, the combination of a base, aContact member eX- tending therearound and adapted for engagement with avariable number of lampterminals, a casing formed with openings, aninsulating bushing inserted into each of said openings from the insideof the casingv and having its inner end enlarged and confined betweenthe base and the casing, a threaded lamp-receiving shell in each of saidbushings, and means carried by said base for conducting current to avariable number of said shells when said casing is in position.

In witness whereof, I- have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two Witnesses.

I REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

C. L. HOPKINS.

